This invention relates to a plug connector, a receptacle connector, and an electrical connection apparatus comprising a combination of the plug connector and the receptacle connector.
In recent years, a multi-pin connector for electrical connection is used in a mobile or portable apparatus. Since the portable apparatus is developed towards a small size, parts of the apparatus are also required to be small in size. Therefore, in the multi-pin connector of the type, it is essential to narrow a pitch of a plurality of contacts held by an insulator. However, when the pitch is narrowed, a distance between adjacent ones of the contacts is reduced. In this case, a quality related to contacting conditions tends to be adversely affected.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2003-297485 discloses a connector to be electrically and mechanically fixed to a mounting object by the use of hold-downs. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2002-305047 discloses a connector enhanced in mechanical strength by hold-downs press-fitted into an insulator.
In each of the connectors disclosed in the publications, insulators of a plug connector and a receptacle connector are fitted to each other when the plug and the receptacle connectors are connected to each other. In such a connector, the insulators may be abraded or broken during repetition of fitting and separation of the insulators. It is assumed that, when the plug connector and the receptacle connector are disconnected from each other, the insulators are twisted with respect to each other to be separated. In this event, the insulators may be deformed under strong external force. In either case, proper fitting between the plug connector and the receptacle connector may not be achieved and improper contacting or short-circuiting may be caused between contacts, resulting in contacting failure.